The iPhone 13 display is said to feature an ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, like the OnePlus 9 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S21. And indeed, it will be Samsung that is making it.

It has long been rumored that the next iPhone will feature LTPO panel technology. However, a new report from The Elec goes a step further, claiming that orders for the new panels are currently being placed with Samsung Display.

Samsung Display already has a dedicated production line that manufactures screens for past iPhones, including the iPhone 12. However, The Elec reports that this "A3" line will be converted from producing LTPS displays to producing LTPO instead, with the change taking place "within the first half of 2021." The production target is reportedly 70,000 wafers per month.

LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline silicon) displays allow mobile devices to dynamically change refresh rates. This allows the cell phone to lower the refresh rate when the user does not see the benefit, resulting in lower power consumption. This technology is used in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy S21 Ultra, and Asus ROG Phone 5, which have surprisingly long battery life even when running at 120Hz or higher. [Apple already uses LTPO panels in the Apple Watch 6 and offers a 120Hz "ProMotion" refresh rate on the iPad Pro. We have yet to see Apple use these two technologies together, but previous rumors have suggested that the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max would benefit from this LTPO panel.

LG Display and BOE also offer OLED displays for the iPhone 13, but according to The Elec, these are less advanced LTPS displays and will likely be used in the basic iPhone 13 model. This type of OLED display can still offer dynamic refresh rates, but requires extra components that Apple may not want to use in a cheaper iPhone.

If this is not enough, some claim that Apple is currently testing these LTPO displays.

Leaker Digital Chat Station (via Mukul Sharma on Twitter) reports that Apple is currently testing the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max with Samsung Display Co. According to DCS, these models have D63x and D64x and we'll keep an eye out for these codenames when more iPhone 13 leaks come out in the future.

The current testing news is encouraging news that there will be a 120Hz iPhone this year. Early last year, it was suggested that the iPhone 12 series, or at least the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, would feature these displays. A few months later, however, the rumor lost credibility and was ultimately proven wrong at the iPhone launch event. while it is still too early to say when the iPhone 13 is expected to debut in September, the rumor is encouraging so far.

In addition to the display, the iPhone 13 is also rumored to have a smaller notch than previous notched iPhones, allowing users to enjoy more of the display. We also expect to see improvements in the camera, including a new A15 chipset, new lenses, larger sensors, and improved software.

We expect the iPhone 13 series to arrive in September, Apple's usual month for iPhone launches. There are many excellent phones scheduled to launch before then, but assuming Apple doesn't make any uncharacteristic blunders, the iPhone 13 will probably be one of the best phones to be released in 2021.